D.J. Hall

D.J. Hall was born in Los Angeles in 1951. She remains there today, painting from her studio in Venice Beach.

Hall’s signature paintings emphasize an idyllic lifestyle synonymous with Southern California, inspired by the artist’s earliest sun-speckled poolside memories. Although her hyper-detailed work draws upon the foundations of photorealism, each piece is actually a highly contrived composite of both real and imagined scenarios. Hall’s process often involves a live photo shoot with models, after which she edits and reassembles the visual information in order to produce a painting that sparkles with a more extraordinary sense of magical reality. In Hall’s vivid worlds we find a diary of images where leisurely people momentarily freeze the passage of time and enjoy the fleeting, joyous moments of a life well lived.

Since receiving her B.F.A. from the University of Southern California in 1973, Hall has exhibited widely throughout the United States. Her work is featured in many corporate and public collections including the American University in Washington D.C., Bank of America, The Buck Collection, GTE, and the Long Beach Museum of Art in Southern California, The Phoenix Art Museum, The Palm Springs Art Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

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Biography

1951 Born in Los Angeles, CA

1973 University of Southern CA, B.F.A. (magna cum laude)

Artist Statement

30 years ago, my career “ officially” began when I entered a juried show which was seen by the dealer who gave me my first solo exhi­bition. Since then, I have devoted my life to art and art-making with a passion which grows stronger every year. Interesting opportunities have come along allowing me to use my skills in theater, film, design, and public art projects. Teaching has kept me on my toes and provided an avenue to pass on to others— my love of the arts.

Although women have been the apparent subject matter in my work, light is the primary subject . I’ve always been fascinated with light and how it evokes a continuum of time and place. My attraction to pool­side settings stems from childhood memories of summer afternoons where I briefly glimpsed a sense of family, security, and joy. Ironically, my images cannot exist in physical reality, as they are highly contrived composites of various, real and imagined sources. I approach each new painting as though I am producing a film: selecting models, ward­robe changes, locations, props, time sequences, etc. For the photo shoot, I storyboard scenarios for my models so they will project what I envision. With the resulting photos, I add, delete, and re-configure information to achieve a strong visual structure. I build a “magical” work with hyper-detail which convinces viewers to believe in its reality. Portraying the passage of time, whether in momentary or monumental increments, is an ongoing interest for me. I like to think that my pieces are a visual diary of my journey through life. My work reveals a story with themes of momentary joy, loss, and longing.

“Castaway’s Choice”, Produced for KCRW and Hosted by John McNally; Los Angeles Aired on KCRW, Los Angeles: October 14, and Throughout the U.S. During the Rest of the Year.

1983

Designed Artwork for Entire Sets of “A Sense of Humor”, Written by Ernest Thompson, Produced by Robert Fryer and Frank VonZerneck in Association with Centre Theatre Group, Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles.

1982

“D.J. Hall: Real Life in Venice”, Produced by Robert Crane and Dana Bieber, Video Systems Network, Los Angeles, Aired on KCET-TV in April, Televised Throughout the Rest of the Year and on Times Mirror Cable.